the following: Bythius and Mixis, Ageratos and Henosis, Autophyes and Hedone, Acinetos
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and Syncrasis, Monogenes and Macaria.18 These are the ten Æons whom they declare to
have been produced by Logos and Zoe. They then add that Anthropos himself, along with
Ecclesia, produced twelve Æons, to whom they give the following names: Paracletus and
Pistis, Patricos and Elpis, Metricos and Agape, Ainos and Synesis, Ecclesiasticus and Macari-
otes, Theletos and Sophia.
3. Such are the thirty Æons in the erroneous system of these men; and they are described
as being wrapped up, so to speak, in silence, and known to none [except these professing
teachers]. Moreover, they declare that this invisible and spiritual Pleroma of theirs is tripartite,
being divided into an Ogdoad, a Decad, and a Duodecad. And for this reason they affirm
it was that the “Saviour”— for they do not please to call Him “Lord”—did no work in public
during the space of thirty years,19 thus setting forth the mystery of these Æons. They
maintain also, that these thirty Æons are most plainly indicated in the parable20 of the la-
bourers sent into the vineyard. For some are sent about the first hour, others about the third
hour, others about the sixth hour, others about the ninth hour, and others about the eleventh
hour. Now, if we add up the numbers of the hours here mentioned, the sum total will be
thirty: for one, three, six, nine, and eleven, when added together, form thirty. And by the
hours, they hold that the Æons were pointed out; while they maintain that these are great,
and wonderful, and hitherto unspeakable mysteries which it is their special function to de-
velop; and so they proceed when they find anything in the multitude21 of things contained
in the Scriptures which they can adopt and accommodate to their baseless speculations.
18 It may be well to give here the English equivalents of the names of these Æons and their authors. They are
as follows: Bythus, Profundity; Proarche, First-Beginning; Propator, First-Father; Ennœa, Idea; Charis, Grace;
Sige, Silence; Nous, Intelligence; Aletheia, Truth; Logos, Word; Zoe, Life; Anthropos, Man; Ecclesia, Church;
Bythius, Deep; Mixis, Mingling; Ageratos, Undecaying; Henosis, Union; Autophyes, Self-existent; Hedone,
Pleasure; Acinetos, Immoveable; Syncrasis, Blending; Monogenes, Only-Begotten; Macaria, Happiness; Paracletus,
Advocate; Pistis, Faith; Patricos, Ancestral; Elpis, Hope; Metricos, Metrical; Agape, Love; Ainos, Praise; Synesis,
Understanding; Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastical; Macariotes, Felicity; Theletos, Desiderated; Sophia, Wisdom.
19 Luke iii. 23.
20 Matt. xx. 1–16.
21 Some omit ἐν πλήθει, while others render the words “a definite number,” thus: “And if there is anything
else in Scripture which is referred to by a definite number.”
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Chapter I.—Absurd ideas of the disciples of Valentinus as to the origin,…